I think this is one of the less-clear “tricks” that Andre shows us. When he does it, there is the barest of “snaps” between his fingers and his yo-yo just seems to climb up the string by magic.

For a less responsive yo-yo, yes; you do need to grip it and give it some torque to create the spin you need for the bind. It does not need to be anything like the spin you get on a good breakaway, but you do need to “snap it” (rotate it rapidly about its axis) with a bit more sheer force than Andre seems to use in his tutorial.

If you can grip the yo-yo and use your wrist and fingers to spin it, you should be fine. I found that adding a bit of upswing on my string-hand helps with the bind too.

Same here. If I try to start it with an actual snap, which seems like it should generated the most spin, it wobbles. If I try to use my wrist more, it spins truer, but doesn’t give me enough spin. Ugh, one day…

Ann Connolly, said she couldn’t do a snap start, so we should all take heart in that! ;D

It is a little more technique than how hard you do it, the trick is to get the right grip on the sides with your thumb and finger. I am better at it with my left hand than my right, because my right hand is a little beat up and it hurts to do too many snap starts. I used a no-jive to practice for a long time, but it might be easier with a smaller diameter heavier throw.
It did take me (years?) of practice. When you get it right, it is a lot like snapping your fingers though.

For me, the snap start is a constantly evolving process. I’ve just got to the place where I can snap an unresponsive yoyo and bind enough for a decent regen. Someday, I hope to do an actual trick from the snap.

Also, I found when learning different shapes worked better. Beefy rims gave me something to grip when snapping and it was difficult to snap a V/O shaped at first. Tirrox was the first throw I was really able to get spinning

The size of the yo-yo does not matter much unless your hands are very small. What is important is to practice the spinning of the yo-yo on its axis so that you can impart the spin efficiently. Practice will get rid of the excessive wobble. Don’t get hung up on the wobbles though. I have bound many a wobbly snap-started yo-yo’s.

Grip it with two fingers and use your wrist and forearm to impart spin around the axle.